Thanks Billy, but No, the front passenger seat does not fold flat, but it does fold back enough to rest like most front seats do. I don't know if there is an option but I would not think it is possible due to the wrap around shape the back has.

GaryG

 

The C-Max Energi is the best kept secret out there. We drove all over today with the A/C running and the engine never started. My wife drove it the most today and really loves it also.

Big oil is not going to like this vehicle!

GaryG

 

Update:

Ford states the C-Max Energi is capable of going 21 miles in EV. The HV battery has a mileage number at the top of the battery level gauge that gives how many miles remaining on the battery. If you have a completely charged battery, charging will stop and the light around the charging plug will go out. When you start the vehicle, the engine remains Off until more power than the electric traction motor can provide (not very often), or the battery is depleted and needs charging by the engine with the generator.

Many write-ups on the C-Max Energi say they couldn't go 21 mile in EV before the engine started. That's because the driver wasn't using the vehicle in EV efficiently.

I didn't care if I used the A/C and got less miles out of the battery in EV mode because I could just recharge sooner with less miles. The fact is, I have been getting great mileage in my '09 FEH by using the battery and engine efficiently. The question I needed to find out was, could I drive the Energi with the A/C On all the time and get near 21 miles in EV mode. The answer came to me today after I started the car and seen a 25 mile distance reading on my battery. In other words, the battery has a "Miles To Battery Empty" reading based on your driving techniques just like the MTE on the FEH. Who knows what a hypermiler can get with distance with the A/C Off? I'm not driving anymore without the A/C since most of my charges are free or only 90 cents when I charge a depleted battery at my home charger. The level 1 charger comes with the vehicle, so that is at no extra cost.

My goal now is 30 miles in EV with the A/C On in the C-Max Energi, and 40 miles when it's cool here without the A/C. Because I had to drive 200 highway miles without charging the battery, my lifetime MPG at 400 miles is 69mpg so far.

Gary

 

Actually, C-Max is built on Focus platform.

You couldn't pay me to buy another Ford hybrid here in FL after my experience with the first hybrid Escape of '06 vintage whose engine cuts off at every red light. Designers didn't have the sense to have the A/C switch to battery operation. I experienced seven very long and very hot summers in that vehicle, and then highest avg. mpg was only 27.2.

 

Its that way by design. If the AC was battery powered you'd get less electric boost the rest of the time. The compressor is designed to go off at engine off to conserve battery power. If you want the AC to stay on, they've given you that option. Simply switch to MAX AC and the engine will stay on and run the AC compressor for you. Had they gone with a battery powered AC your MPG would have been significantly lower than 27.2. There's no free energy...all the power comes from burning fuel. You can either burn fuel to run the compressor or burn fuel to charge the battery and then run the compressor. Either way you are burning fuel.

There are tradeoffs in everything. Ford decided to maximize battery power rather than provide electric AC. I think its a good choice in that most of the time, most of the people don't need AC on full time. Yes, there are people in Florida, Texas, and Arizona who do... but most people on most days don't. And on the days that its too hot to let the AC cycle off at a red light, the rest of us have the option of overriding the system.

 

It was your choice to buy and stay with a '06 FEH for seven long years, not Ford. I'm in FL and have owned an '05 and still own a '09 FEH with a lifetime 53.9mpg. You need to understand what you're buying ahead of time. The FEH is a one of a kind vehicle and is the most fuel efficient SUV on the Planet.

Just purchased a loaded C-Max Energy and run the A/C 100% of the time at 72F, and have a 93mpg lifetime with less than 550 miles. I expect my first tank will go 5,000 miles or more before fill-up again. Do I blame Ford? YES!

Gary

 

haven't checked here for a while as I sold my Mariner to my son and got a cheap 2000 honda insight.
I am intrigued by the c max now.
What type of service schedule is recommended since you're not runnig
the it could be years before the equivalent of 5000 miles of run time accumulates

 

Dewd,

Good to hear from you.

I'd say if you liked the Mariner/Escape Hybrids, you're gonna love the C-Maxes.

There's the C-Max Hybrid, which as you see from my posts here, is in my opinion essentially a hybrid version of the 2013 Escape.

Then there's the plug-in C-Max Energi. The plug-in is what sold me. That' what i really wanted. I think this is where hybrids really need to go. Miles and miles of EV range, Highway speeds in EV mode (up to 85 mph which is way faster than i'm probably ever going to drive again), 100 MPGe per EPA in EV mode - now that's what I'm talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to your question: The car's computer keeps track of ICE time and conditions and tells you when it thinks you need to need to change the oil. The manual says to expect that to happen in about 20,000 miles, but I figure that is based in a driving pattern that would use the ICE about half the time. Based on my pattern so far, I would not expect to see the message in my lifetime. Nevertheless, I'll probably keep my eye (and nose) on the oil, and change it out at least every few years or when it seems bad.

Check out the owners' experiences at:

http://fordcmaxenergiforum.com/

Happy motoring in the Honda.

Jack

 

The oil shelf life will restrict the life of the oil to one year regardless of the low miles you put on the C-Max Energi engine. I'm up to a 30 plus EV mile range in a single full charge with the A/C set at 71F the entire time. Yes, a full electric mode can be hypermiled like any other vehicle. In cooler weather, I think this vehicle will get to a 40 mile EV range here in Florida.

Gary

 

Well Billy, about a few weeks ago a moderator on the Energi forum posted a thread on your longest EV trip on one charge. He had his highest range at 31 miles and a few others had posted their readouts near that range also. Last July I posted a 33.9 mile range, but that was with the A/C running. Now that I can get by without the A/C, I've been easily getting a 36 mile range in my Energi.

I set out on a beach road trip to downtown WPB and back home taking dash pictures before and after the trip. I went 39.6 miles RT in EV. I recorded a 238.5 MPGe for that trip, which is 221% of the EPA City rating of 108 MPGe.
http://fordcmaxenergiforum.com/galle...leage-photo-6/

My lifetime MPG is now over 525mpg and 125 MPGe. The reason the lifetime MPGe is so low is because the first 7-8 months I preconditioned the cabin and battery while plugged in before starting a trip. This took many hours of being parked with the A/C running which lowers lifetime MPGe. You can see from the photos I have over 4,000 miles on 7 gallons of E10. If I go another 4,000 miles on the remaining tank, I will have a first tank of 8,000 miles with a lifetime of over 999 MPG.

On top of the gas I've saved, I just got a check from the IRS for $4,700 for my Energi and level 2 home charger tax credit. Glad you convinced me to buy the Energi!

Gary